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This is in the Ramo (O.C. 585:2) to blow specifically on the right side of the mouth. The Magain Avraham says this is based on the verse (Zecharia 3:1) והשטן עומד על ימינו - the Satan stands on his right side.

I forget who told me this, but I heard that Tomer Devorah is traditionally studied in the month of Elul.
I've been told that the Bobover Rebbe told his chassidim to learn Tomer Devorah this year, and that Rav Moshe Wolfson told his Kehilla the same a few years back.
This practice makes sense, because the first chapter of Tomer Devorah is about Hashem's 13 ...

The Megillah and the Chanuka candles are Rabbinical Mitzvot, while blowing Shofar in Elul is merely an Ashkenzic custom (minhag), not a Mitzvah (see Rama on Orach Chaim 581:1). There's all kinds of discussion about which Mitzvot get a blessing and which don't, but in general, minhagim don't get blessings.

Rabbi Yosef Ber Soleveitchik would teach Likkutei Torah from the Ba'al HaTanya during Elul in preparation for Rosh Hashana.
The relevant Ma'amarim start in Parshas Reih and continue from there.
I haven't been able to find someone who reports specifically what from there he would learn with his students.

The text of the Selihot appears at Da`at (Herzog College) and at Wikitext.
The text is nearly the same every day. There are additions for the 10 days of repentance, and there is a small section which varies based on the day of the week.
There are also sections which are said in some congregations but not in others.

Per the Shaalos U'tshuvos Tzitz Eliezer Chelek 12 Siman 48 the whole Takana of blowing Shofar was only when it is done Btzibur. He gives 2 reasons.
1: The reason we blow Shofar starting Rosh Chodesh Elul, is since when Moshe Rabeinu went up on the mountain on Rosh Chodesh Elul the Posuk says "He'eviru Shofar B'Machane" - and Machane means B'tzibur and not ...

I know many Yeshivas where the Rosh Yeshiva interrupts his regularly scheduled programming of a vaad or whatever public mussar seder he has to go through Shaarei Teshuva of Rabbeinu Yona during Elul. I know the Rosh Yeshiva of Passaic (R' Meir Stern) used to do this for his machshava chabura, but I don't know if he still does.
In Ner Israel, the Rosh ...

I CMLOR many years ago on the predicament I found myself in davening mincha and ma'ariv in the same two places every day. The former was nusach Ashkenaz and the latter nusach S'farad. The result was that the tzibur around me was effectively saying it only once a day. He said tersely and with a shrug, "it's just a perek of T'hilim."
Although there is an ...

Ani Ldodi v'dodi Li. Is the most common. It is supposed to be a segula for marriages occurring during the month. It is also supposed to be siman for the gates of Chesed being opened and repentance being accepted(taken from the Zohar Shiur for Parashat Re'eh found at HaZohar.net). In conjunction with that the acronym is also found in the Posuk in ...

With regards to the Chabad tradition of starting from the first day of Rosh Chodesh Elul (which is the 30th of Av), Dayan Raskin (pdf page 217, footnote 469) points toward the Divrei Nechemia's Hashlamot to the Shulchan Aruch Harav 581, Kuntres Acharon 1.
There, the Divrei Nechemia discusses how Moshe's 3rd ascent to Mount Sinai was the first day of Rosh ...

If someone is unable to attend a Minyan for Selichos he would not say the Shelosh Esrei Midos. In addition the Ashkenazim would not say the words that are in Aramaic, however for Sefardim there are those that permit it. There are also those that permit saying the Shelosh Esrei Midos if it is done to the tune we read the Torah.
Sources: Mishna Berura 581:4, ...

The Mishnah Brurah and the be'er heiteiv (581:1) note (with regard to blowing shofar which I am tying logically to l'dovid) that there are 2 traditions -- some start on the first day of rosh chodesh and some on the second. The be'er heiteiv says that one should not change either custom.

The Tur (O.C. 581) brings down two reasons the Pirkie Drav Eliezer says when Moshe went up on Rosh Chodesh Elul to get the second Luchos in order to prevent the Jews from doing something like the golden calf the Shofar was blown. This based on a Posuk in Tehillim God shall be exalted with the trumpet blast; the Lord, with the sound of the Shofar (47:6). Then ...

Even though the famous reason for not eating nuts is because of the gematria, there is another reason not to eat nuts from Elul through Hoshanah Rabbah (and this would apply to all tree-nuts and maybe even peanuts) is since they increase phlegm they will hinder one's own ability to pray and disturb others (by clearing the throat) as well. And since we spend ...

Maybe try this audio from Rabbi Grunstein (hat-tip Joel Rich) on Aleinu before/after Sefiras HaOmer. I think the same logic applies.
As I recall from it: one school of thought is that Aleinu should be in the davening, somewhere near the end. But you can add other prayers afterwards.
The other school of thought (prominent in Nusach Sefard, I think) is ...

I see what you wrote in the comment section. Fascinating.
I think it possible to trace that legend a bit more. See here.
Thus, (also via this, in Geiger, where he draws connections to the Koran):
"Thus, when Shamhazai noticed a certain maiden whose name was Istahar, he gazed lustfully upon her and pleaded, "Do my bidding." She replied, "I will not do ...

"בערב" could, I think, mean at mincha, especially among Nusach S'farad users, who often say mincha late. I wouldn't infer too much (e.g. that it means maariv) from the choice of words there.
I think it'd be safe to say, based on that description, that some recite it after tachanun before chatzi kadish — but I've never seen this done. In every ...

Chovos HaLevovos – Rabbeinu Bachya ibn Paquda (Early 11th Century). Arguably the most important mussar work of all time, the Chovos HaLevovos is divided into ten Shearim (“Gates”).
For Ellul perhapes
Shaar HaTeshuva (“Gate of Repentance”) – on repentance.
Shaar Cheshbon HaNefesh (“Gate of Self-Accounting”) – on the importance of introspection and ...

I am learning Nesiv HaTeshuva, by the Maharal. Nesivos Olam is the Maharal's "mussar sefer" according to his introduction, and Nesiv HaTeshuva is the section about teshuva. It talks about the nature of Teshuva, and is therefore helpful in appreciating the significance of Teshuva.

For Sephardim, the Orot Sephardic Selihot (ed. R. Eliezer Toledano) writes the following:
One who is reciting the Selihot without a minyan must say the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy with the cantillation melody used when reading from the Torah (Shulhan Aruch) 665:5). He may not recite those portions of the Selihot that are written in Aramaic (e.g., Marana ...

The answers before me gave the sources for not saying the 13 midos in private. I would like to also point out what the Aruch HaShulchan (581:13) says in the name of Pri Etz Chayim, that someone praying alone can say the 13 midos and instead of saying G-d's name (יקוק) say it in a"t bas"h — מצפ"ץ.